


(No) Hope

by SakuyaSonata



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:08:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26249995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuyaSonata/pseuds/SakuyaSonata
Summary: You've returned to the town of Ebott for the first time in years and when you start hearing a voice that asks for help. When you go up Mt. Ebott and fall into the underground you find yourself face to face with your past and on a journey to save every monster in the underground along with someone you never expected with a punny Skeleton who shares the pain you do...literally.
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Mettaton/Papyrus (Undertale), Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	1. Fallen Down

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everyone! Some of you might recognize this fic already since it is actually a remake of my fic No Hope to Save Us. I decided to completely rehaul it with lots of differences that those who have read the original will notice over time...in fact, the first chapter here alone has plenty of changes alone! I hope you all enjoy it and constructive criticism is welcome!

You find yourself running down hallways, frantically looking for an exit. You had to get out of this place you thought to yourself. You opened doors and your eyes lit up for once when you saw the illuminated exit sign and you ran towards it but skidded to a halt when a man in a lab coat stepped in front of the only door to your freedom.

“Now, now _______...You should know better than to run off like that…” He said and reached for you.

You backed away but noticed that two more men were behind you and you clicked your tongue a little bit. You closed your eyes and everything went green.

_________

Your eyes shot open and you panted a little bit. “Damn…” you said quietly as you stared up at a perfectly ordinary ceiling. “Ever since I moved back here those dreams keep happening…” you mumbled as you got up and slowly walked over to the mirror. You grabbed your brush and slowly brushed your hair out and sighed.

_...Help… _

You spun around and looked around your room in confusion. “I need to start getting better sleep...these dreams are killing me…” you muttered before getting dressed and leaving your apartment. You locked the door and then made your way into town, looking around at all the people. It was weird to you how peaceful everything seemed on the surface yet it felt like everyone was on edge. You looked up towards the source of the anxiety of everyone and winced as the sun got in your teal colored eyes. You shielded them and looked at the towering mountain in the distance.  _ Mt. Ebott… _ You thought to yourself as you slowly made the trek towards the trail that led up the mountain. You made sure that the person that had been on guard was gone and quickly snuck past. “Not sure why they bother...if they’re going to make it that easy to sneak past then there’s no point in having a guard in the first place…” you muttered to yourself.

_ Please...Help… _

You tensed a little at the sound again and looked around. You had been hearing this voice for a few days now...or at least...you think it’s been a few days…? Lately, it feels like there’s been a lot of deja vu happening to you but no one else seems to have noticed. You slowly climbed up the mountain as you looked around a little bit. “I don’t get why people are so afraid of this mountain...it doesn’t seem all that spectacular other than what took place here all those years ago…”

_ Save...Them… _

You walked and saw a hole that went into the mountain and stopped. “Huh...Dead end...literally...cause there’s no way that a fall from this high up is survivable...so...disembodied voice...who do you want me to  _ Save _ ?” you muttered.

_ Save...Frisk...You are the key... _

“Key to what? A kid’s death? Cause there’s no way anyone’s alive down there…” You muttered and you frowned when you didn’t get a response this time. You looked around a little bit and found something to make a makeshift rope. You fastened it around a rock near the hole and then tied it around your waist before trying to make your way down into the hole. You slid off into the hole but your eyes widened when you felt the makeshift rope snap and you plunged into darkness. You shut your eyes tightly as you braced for the painful impact that would kill you.  _ I...I don’t want to die!!! _ You screamed internally as you landed and saw golden petals scatter around you. You cringed and blinked when you found that you were alive, sore, but very much alive. You got up slowly and looked at the bed of golden flowers and then looked at the vast expanse above you. “Okay...maybe I’m not alive...maybe I’m dead and I’m imagining that a bed of  _ flowers _ broke my fall...either way I’m fucked…” you muttered and looked around a little bit for any way to climb out of the hole you found yourself in and sighed when you saw that there was no way out the way you came. You looked in the only direction you could go and that was deeper into the cavern. “Well...if I’m dead it’s not like going deeper is going to hurt...right…?” you mumbled a little uneasily as you slowly walked and found a doorway. You blinked when you heard voices up ahead and strained your ears to try to hear what they were saying.

“...An endless cycle of resets...you’ll be trapped here forever!!” A flower…? It was Laughing like mad at a child who was gripping their blue and purple striped shirt tight enough that you could almost see their knuckles turn white.

“No!!” The child said firmly. “I’m going to save you all...Not just Toriel, Sans, and everyone else...but You and Chara and Gaster too!!” they said but you could tell that their voice was trembling slightly as if they were trying to convince themselves as much as the flower.

The flower laughed and sneered at the child. “Just look at you! You’re quivering… you’re losing that determination that you’re so proud of...just give up and let me rule this world!” He smirked and pellets began to form but he froze when you took a step forward.

“A talking flower...what is this? Alice in Wonderland?” You muttered and stood in front of the kid who looked shocked that you were there. “Now I’m not sure if I’m dreaming this, if it’s real, or if I’m dead…” you sighed. “What I do know is you shouldn’t be talking to a kid like that when they’re trying to help you...weed…” you narrowed your eyes.

“Well, well, well...isn’t this interesting…” The flower laughed. “The name’s Flowey...Flowey the Flower...not that you’ll need to remember it...where you’re going you won’t need to remember anything you saw here!” The pellets surrounded you and you saw a teal-colored heart come out and your eyes widened a small fraction. You quickly moved the kid out of the way and winced when one of the pellets hit you.

Frisk was in shock and was wondering why Toriel hadn’t interfered yet.

You looked around at all of the pellets when you saw a fireball and it moved, hitting the flower named Flowey.

“What a terrible creature…” Toriel said but her voice sounded a bit strained and she was keeping her eyes focused on you the entire time.

You slowly moved to stand protectively in front of the kid and blinked when they grabbed your hand and you looked at them. They gave you a smile that eased you a little bit and you looked at the goat-like monster.

“My name is Toriel...I am the caretaker of the Ruins…” She said calmly and offered a smile though it was strained and you could tell that she was wary of you.

“My name is ________...thank you for saving me…” You said respectfully to try to ease her. You felt like she was a kind monster and honestly you’d rather have an ally right now when you were still wrapping your head around the fact that all of this was happening.

“And what is your name child?” Toriel said in a much kinder tone as she turned to the child that stood beside you.

“I’m Frisk!” They said with a smile and stayed beside you.

Your eyes widened at that and you thought about the voice.  _ What does this mean? _ You thought to yourself as you looked from Frisk to Toriel. You also couldn’t shake the fact that you had seen Frisk before...or at least...someone like Frisk...and had been close to them deep within your memory.

“What a lovely name...come...Let me guide you through the catacombs…” Toriel said as she turned and began to walk deeper into the Ruins.

You looked at Frisk a little bit and then held your hand out to them. “I guess we should follow her...not like staying here will do us any good...plus that psycho weed might come back…” you said with a slight smile.

Frisk blinked a little bit and smiled, taking your hand and the two of you began to walk deeper into the Ruins looking as it loomed ahead of you.

You looked ahead and thought a little bit. “I always thought they were crazy...I didn’t think that the monsters existed...guess they were right...but...something doesn’t feel right about what they want to do still…” You mumbled to yourself as you walked, looking over towards Toriel and then at Frisk a little bit.

Frisk blinked and looked over at you as you were talking and frowned a little bit, wondering if you were talking about what they thought you were talking about. Their mind flashing to the reason why they climbed Mt. Ebott in the first place. They glanced over at an empty spot and seemed to be listening to something.

You wondered if something was bothering Frisk when you came to a room where Toriel was waiting and she looked at you for a moment before she moved and stepped on some off-colored tiles and pulled a switch.

“The Ruins are full of puzzles...please get used to the sight of them…” Toriel said calmly before leaving the room.

“Well, she’s full of sunshine and rainbows for me…” You murmured sarcastically. You didn’t care what people thought about you most of the time so it didn’t bother you but you noticed that Frisk seemed a bit bothered by it and sighed. “It’ll be alright...I’m sure it’s just cause I’m an adult...after all...adult magicians were the ones that sealed the monsters underground…” You said after a pause, not sure why you found yourself so weak to the pouting face of the kid in front of you but you wanted them to smile instead.

Frisk nodded a little bit and managed a weak smile. “Then we’ll just have to show her that you’re a good adult,” they said quietly.

You felt like that was going to be a lot easier said than done but nodded a little bit. “Come on...she’s waiting for us...showing her that I’m a good adult isn’t going to be easy if I keep her waiting long…” you said and began to walk towards the next room.

Toriel was waiting for you and she managed a small smile. She couldn’t help but worry about your intentions and she could sense great power dwelling within you though it felt like it was sealed off for some reason. She worried about the monsters down here with your arrival and wondered if there was a way to test your intentions. “In this room, there are two switches that you need to pull...do not worry for I have marked the ones you need to pull for you,” she said as she walked to the edge of the room.

You blinked a little bit and looked at Frisk who was going to one of the switches and you moved to pull the other one. Toriel smiled a little bit and the three of you went into the next room and you stopped when you saw the training dummy. “What the heck…?” you murmured to yourself in confusion, choosing to refrain from the foul language around Frisk and Toriel since, you don’t know why, but you felt like you’d get a mouthful of soap and a glare from the goat monster if you used such words around the kid.

“________...Please talk to the dummy…” Toriel said simply, not explaining as to why she wanted you to do this.

You blinked. You had a feeling she was testing you in some way and you nodded a little bit.  _ Great...as if I didn’t think I was crazy enough as it is...first the disembodied voice tells me to find Frisk...now I’m talking to a literal dummy...what next? _ You thought to yourself as you managed a small smile at the button eye and took a deep breath. “Hello...the ruins sure are fascinating, aren’t they? I like your button eye…” You couldn’t believe how awkward this felt but Toriel smiled and nodded a little bit.

“When you’re down here you may encounter monsters. When that happens you will enter a fight,” Toriel explained and turned to leave. “Stall for time by striking up a friendly conversation like just now and I will come to resolve the conflict,” she added before leaving.

“That was...incredibly awkward…” You said as you scratched the back of your head a little bit, looking over at Frisk.

“But she seems a bit more at ease around you…” Frisk said with a smile.

“I guess...I still get the feeling she’s a bit guarded around me…” You mumbled but smiled a little bit at Frisk’s smile. “Now come on...we shouldn’t keep her waiting…” you said and went into the next room.

“There’s another puzzle in this room...I wonder if you can solve it?” Toriel said as she watched you look around the room.

You looked and noticed that some of the floor was lighter than the rest but you weren’t sure whether that meant it was part of the puzzle or not. You moved towards the other end of the room when suddenly a frog-like monster attacked you and you tried to think of what to do. You noticed that you seemed to have ‘Stats’ and Your HP was oddly 17.5. It felt strange to you that you had a half a point in your HP and wondered what it meant. You shook your head though and tried to focus on the ‘Froggit’ in front of you. You thought of something to say and smiled a bit. “Hey, Froggit...You look amazing today…” you said a little awkwardly. You could tell that they didn’t seem to understand you but seemed to appreciate it nonetheless.

Toriel came over and Froggit left looking nervous. You blinked a little bit and watched the scenery turn to normal and your ‘stats’ vanish, leaving you a little uneasy. “That was...different…” you mumbled to yourself as you began to walk again and stopped when you saw all the spikes ahead of you.

“Take my hand, my child…” Toriel said to Frisk as she held her hand out to them and Frisk gladly reached out to hold her hand but you blinked when they held out their other hand towards you and you shook your head with a smile before reaching and holding their hand. Toriel began to lead the way through the spikes in a pattern that was similar to the path of lighter floor that was on the other side of the room. When you got to the next room Toriel turned to the two of you and told you that you must reach the end of the room on your own. You walked, not bothered by it since all it was was a long hallway. When you reached the end you saw a pillar and Toriel came out from behind it.

“I did that to test your independence...I have some things I must take care of so please stay here. I will give you this cell phone,” Toriel said as she handed a really old cell phone to Frisk before leaving. You watched her leave before looking at Frisk and froze when you saw not Frisk but a child that looked just like them with red eyes in a hospital gown. On the gown, there was a word printed with letters and numbers that said ‘CH4R4’. It had been years since then...since you heard that Chara had escaped from the nightmare of a place that you both were forced to call ‘Home’ and disappeared. It was back in 201X...nearly 10 years had passed...You had wished so much that you had been able to take Chara with you when you escaped that awful place...then maybe they wouldn’t have disappeared...You heard a rumor that around that time a Monster had appeared with a child that matched Chara’s description and the people in town attacked thinking that the monster had killed the child but you couldn’t be sure about that after seeing Toriel.

“_______?” Frisk said snapping out of your frozen state. They looked at you worriedly and glanced over at Chara who had looked uncomfortable ever since you appeared. “Is something wrong?” They asked quietly.

“It’s nothing...you just...reminded me of an old childhood friend for a moment…” You said with an awkward smile as you looked at Frisk. “They had the same haircut...well...almost…” your eyes dulled slightly as you thought about how that was the typical haircut for the ‘Followers’ of that place.

“Do you need a moment…? We still have a ways to go before we get to Toriel’s home…” Frisk said quietly.

You shook your head a little bit. “I’m alright...let’s go…” You said quietly as you moved in the direction that Toriel went. In your head you made a silent vow to protect Frisk, promising yourself you wouldn’t fail them like you failed Chara.


	2. Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You travel through the Ruins with Frisk and they learn a little bit about your past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long absence! Here! Have a long chapter in exchange! ^^;

You looked around the room a little bit. You saw nearby another Froggit monster and across the room were some dried up leaves. Next to the Froggit was a doorway and as the two of you took a step you heard ringing from the cell phone that Toriel just gave you and you blinked a little bit. You watched Frisk talk to Toriel and appease her and guessed she was asking if they had left the room that the two of you were just in. When Frisk hung up they led the way into the room by the Froggit and you saw a bowl of candy and made a completely flat expression.

“Well...That candy totally doesn’t look suspicious at all… let’s take a piece…” you said, your voice dripping with sarcasm.

Frisk giggled a bit at that. The way you spoke sometimes reminded them of the way Chara spoke and they looked over at their ghostly companion and noticed they were smiling a little bit at your comment as well. “I think it’ll be fine…” they said as they stepped forward to grab a piece of monster candy before walking back over to you.

“You sure about that Frisk? It could be poisoned or drugged…” You said with a worried expression on your face as you noticed that you shared an inventory. “What is this…? Some kind of RPG?” you muttered and looked at the candy and tensed slightly at the description of the candy. “Non-licorice flavor huh…?” you mumbled as your eyes clouded over from a memory.

__________________

You watched the other ‘Followers’ come and go to their daily training regimens with dulled eyes. You were kept here mainly because you were sold by your parents. You couldn’t control the power you had and it was always painful when you used it. The heads of the cult had trouble slotting you into one of the seven Magician spots since your soul was a mix of both Patience and Kindness but ultimately they found that Kindness was your strongest trait by seeing you interact with the other ‘Followers’...particularly ‘Follower’ CH4R4 or Chara...The one they had chosen to be the next Determination Magician.

“I Don’t want to go to another drill!! They hurt!!” Chara yelled at the man and tried to get away from him.

You slowly moved towards them and knelt to Chara “Hey...If I give you this piece of candy...will you go to that drill for today...and I promise to talk to the heads to let you off tomorrow and let me take your place?” you asked gently with a smile, your eyes glowing green.

“I don’t want to! I hear a voice in my head when I do those drills!!” Chara said, tears in their eyes flickering between a brown and red.

You frowned a little bit and hugged Chara. “I understand…” you said quietly. You knew what the voice meant. You looked at the head who was waiting patiently and felt irritated but there was a whisper in the back of your mind that made you tense up. “Let me take their place...you can drill me as long as you want…” you muttered, your bangs covering your eyes a little bit.

“Very well...You’ve been doing well in using your trait on your own as is so Ingo should be ready for you…” The head said as he began to lead the way out of the room.

You turned to Chara and smiled a little at them. “Have this candy and wait here okay...when I get back we’ll play some games…” You said as you handed the young Chara a piece of licorice candy.

Chara took it and ate it and made a face. “Yuck!” they said and watched you leave.

________________

Frisk was watching you a bit worriedly again and looked at Chara who couldn’t really look at you even though you couldn’t see them and they reached to hold your hand. “You okay?” They asked quietly.

You blinked, snapping out of your memories and you smiled a little bit even though it was forced. “Yeah...just...thinking about my childhood friend...they hated licorice-flavored candy...but they loved chocolate...they lit up whenever I managed to get some from where we were...it was pretty rare to get it...and I’d always share it with them…” You murmured.

Frisk blinked and looked over at Chara again and they shifted uncomfortably away from their gaze.

“Anyway...they disappeared...I failed them when I left a bad place...and didn’t take them with me...I heard that they climbed this mountain...but...maybe they’re still alive...since we are and we fell here…” You said, trying to sound hopeful but something in your gut told you that wasn’t the case because you heard Frisk mention Chara’s name and you weren’t sure how to bring up how they knew your childhood friend.

Frisk nodded a little bit with a smile. It wasn’t a complete lie to say that they were alive...they were going to be after all. They made that promise to Chara and now that You were there they were even more confident in keeping that promise. “Come on...we shouldn’t keep Toriel waiting…” they said quietly as they led the way out of the room. They let go of your hand for a moment to play in the leaves and save at the save point.

You watched Frisk play in the leaves and your eyes widened for a moment when you thought you saw a spark but, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. You shook your head with a smile as you reached your hand out to them. “You’re such a kid…” you said with a small giggle.

“Of course I am,” Frisk said with a smile as they took your hand got up. The two of you began to walk through the Ruins and you looked around a tiny bit. You tried to think of something to say since you knew what the hearts were from the cult. They were your souls, the very culmination of a person or monster’s being.

Frisk broke the silence at last as they looked at you. “Hey..._______…? Can I ask a favor?” They said quietly, sounding a little nervous.

You blinked a little bit and nodded. “Sure kid...fire away…” You mumbled as you looked at them.

“When we encounter the monsters on the journey...can you not hurt them...no matter what?” Frisk asked timidly.

You blinked a little bit and smiled slightly. “I didn’t plan on hurting them from the beginning Frisk…” You said quietly. You thought about what that Cult wanted and you knew you could never give them what they wanted, it just didn’t feel right.

Frisk looked relieved and nodded a little bit. “Thank you!” they said excitedly and the two of you continued onward towards Toriel’s home. You began to notice something though. The monsters of the ruins seemed to avoid you. You wondered if it had to due to you being an adult and that they were afraid of you. You had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case forever so you decided to enjoy it while it lasted. You walked onto a cracked tile and let out a yelp when you fell, cringing hard. Your eyes widened when you saw Frisk fall after you and you quickly caught them and sighed. “So...how do we solve this puzzle?” you mumbled even though you didn’t feel like it was much of a puzzle at the moment.

“Follow me,” Frisk said and walked over to...was it a door? Or a vent? Either way, you followed them and walked through it and wound up back above on the other side of the cracked flooring. You sighed and left the room, hoping you wouldn’t have to deal with that kind of thing again. You looked around the next room where there was a rock and blinked when the cell phone that Frisk was given rang again.

Frisk answered it and you waited. They looked at you a little bit. “What do you prefer? Cinnamon or Butterscotch?” They asked quietly.

You blinked a little bit and thought. “I guess I prefer Butterscotch...But don’t mind me...just tell her what you prefer…” You said quietly, your eyes flashing green for a moment and you winced as you heard a whisper in the back of your mind that said.  _ Kill them… _

Frisk smiled and nodded a little bit. “We prefer butterscotch,” They said quietly. They listened to Toriel’s response before they hung up. The two of you only walked a few more steps before Toriel called again and you blinked a little bit. Frisk listened to her before looking at you. “You don’t mind Cinnamon do you?” They asked quietly.

“No…” You said quietly, looking a bit confused. You waited until Frisk finished the call before asking. “What was that about?”

“She just wanted to see if we disliked Cinnamon or not…” Frisk said quietly with a sheepish smile.

“Couldn’t she have asked that when she asked which one we preferred?” You mumbled with a blank expression but sighed. “Oh well...let’s get going…” You murmured as you walked towards the rock and pushed it to the button causing the spikes to retract and opening the way forward. You moved forward to the next room and when you saw that it was almost completely cracked floor with the vent at the beginning of the room you looked completely fed up.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me…” You muttered in irritation as you looked around for a clue on how to get through the room. You slowly stepped on part of the cracked floor and blinked when you didn’t fall through. “So that’s the game…” you mumbled to yourself as you slowly tried to make your way through the room and then you stepped on a part of the floor that was cracked and fell.

Frisk looked down from the floor above. “Are you okay!?” They asked worriedly. They felt bad about not just giving you the answer to the puzzles but they felt like it would be bad to give away that they were able to reset and load through determination.

“Son of a bitch that hurt!” You groaned as you slowly tried to get up and looked up towards Frisk. “You stay up there...I’m going to look down here for a way through the puzzle and a way back up…” You called up, not wanting them to get hurt by the fall.

Frisk was hesitant but they nodded a little bit before moving a little bit and looking at Chara who was shifting slightly uncomfortably.

“You could have warned me that you knew them…” Frisk said quietly to Chara.

“I didn’t think they remembered me...and they didn’t seem to at first...Curse that blasted look that they make us all have…” Chara muttered irritably. “They were older than me...more like a big sibling than a friend...but then one day...they were gone...I remember the heads were really angry and they took it out on us…but thinking back on it...I’m madder they didn’t take me then I’m mad that they left at all...” they sighed a little bit. “But they meant more to me than I meant to them...they forgot about me...while I remembered them…”

“I don’t know...I think it was just the shock of everything that made them forget you for a moment...you’ve got to admit...it is pretty shocking to fall down that distance and not only survive but to meet monsters. Frisk said with a smile. They looked as you came up through the vent and let you walk over to them.

Chara watched a little bit and thought, finding themselves hoping what Frisk said was true as they looked at you.

“Hey who were you talking to?” You asked as you walked up to Frisk.

Frisk blinked and kept from tensing. “What do you mean?” they asked.

“I thought I heard you talking to someone up here while I was looking for the solution to the puzzle in this room…?” You murmured curiously.

Frisk found themselves wanting to tell you about how they could talk to Chara’s ghost but with a slight glance at Chara their face made them stop and they offered an awkward smile. “I was just talking to one of the monsters…” they said quietly.

You tensed up a little bit at that. “Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt did you?” You asked a bit worriedly, your eyes flashing green and you winced slightly from a whisper in the back of your mind.

“I’m fine,” Frisk said with a smile. “The monsters are pretty nice!” they added with an encouraging smile to put you at ease.

You relaxed a little bit and nodded and let out a small sigh of relief. “Okay…” You said quietly and looked around. “Well...I figured out the puzzle to this room...we should keep moving...don’t want to keep Toriel waiting too long,” You said quietly with a small smile. You held out your hand to Frisk and led the way through the room. You looked around the next room to see three rocks. You blinked a little bit and went to push the rocks but nearly jumped back when the third rock started talking.

“Whoa there, pardner! Who said you could push me around!?” The Rock said causing you to blink in shock.

“Could you move over Mr. Rock?” Frisk asked politely with a smile on their face.

_ First a talking flower, then a talking goat, there was that living gelatin I saw earlier though it didn’t fight us...now a talking rock...I honestly can’t tell if I’m hallucinating, dead, or neither and this is real...either way it’s some kind of freaky...but...not in a bad way…  _ You thought to yourself though your expression remained flat like usual.

Chara watched you, able to tell that you were thinking about how weird everything was down here, and couldn’t help but smile a little bit.

“Hm? So you’re asking me to move over?” The Rock said, interrupting both your’s and Chara’s thoughts. “Okay, just for you, pumpkin,” It moved just a tiny bit over, and you couldn’t help but blink.

Frisk went over to the rock. “Mr. Rock...we need you to move over some more please…” They said quietly with a sheepish smile.

“Hm? You want me to move over more? Okay, how’s this?” The Rock said but instead of moving forward it moved to the left and you felt yourself twitch ever so slightly.

Frisk looked at you a little bit and then went over to the rock. “That’s the wrong way Mr. Rock…” They said a little awkwardly.

“Hm? That was the wrong direction? Okay, I think I got it,” The Rock said as it moved over to the tile switch, causing the spikes to retract. You relaxed slightly and the two of you moved towards the other end of the room only for you to jump back when the spikes came flying out again and you looked back to see that The Rock had moved off of the switch and you almost snapped only for a hand to touch yours. You relaxed a little when you saw Frisk’s smiling face and they went over to The Rock.

“Mr. Rock...We need you to stay on the tile for us, please,” Frisk said quietly and kindly.

“Hm? You wanted me to stay there? You’re giving me a real workout,” The Rock said as it moved back onto the tile switch.

You waited for Frisk to return to you and you held their hand as you crossed the spikes, making it past the room. You blinked and looked around the next room, seeing a table with cheese on it and a mouse hole. You looked as Frisk let go of your hand and went over to across from the mouse hole and suddenly there was a flash and you could see a spark for a moment. You blinked in confusion. “What are you doing Frisk?” You asked finally, unable to contain your curiosity.

Frisk blinked and shrugged a little bit. “Nothing…” They said quietly. They couldn’t really tell you that they were ‘Saving’ their ‘Progress’ with Determination to keep from having to repeat the whole of the Ruins. You’d think that they were crazy. Even if you were friends with Chara and would have some knowledge of that kind of power. They knew it wasn’t logical but they were a little scared and they weren’t sure if they could fully trust you just yet with all that they did in the past timelines.

You weren’t sure if you believed Frisk but you decided not to push them as you nodded and slowly made your way towards the next room. You blinked when you saw what was, what you guessed was, a ghost sleeping? It was just saying ‘Z’ over and over again. “What the…” You mumbled quietly in pure confusion as you stood over it and looked at Frisk.

Frisk smiled and shifted the ghost, causing both your souls to jump out. You looked up at the ghost and how sad it seemed and it reminded you of the kids at the ‘facility’, causing your expression to soften. “We don’t want to hurt you Napstablook…” You said when you saw that was the monster’s name.

“Yeah!” Frisk said and you quickly had to dodge as Napstablook’s tears started to attack you. Your eyes widened when you saw that some tears were heading for Frisk and ran to shield them, wincing slightly from the pain. You turned to Napstablook and smiled a little bit still though, your eyes flashing green as you said. “You don’t have to be sad Napstablook...You seem like a nice ghost,” You did your best to ignore a whisper in the back of your mind that urged you to strike at the ghost since it wasn’t right when he seemed like a kind monster at heart and because you made a promise to Frisk.

Frisk looked at your injuries worriedly but smiled when you tried to cheer Napstablook up and looked at him. “Yeah! You’re spooktacular!” They said excitedly. You had to hold back a laugh at the pun as you looked at the ghost.

Napstablook on the other hand laughed and gray words appeared in front of you that said ‘Really not feelin up to it right now. Sorry.’

You couldn’t think of things to say to make Napstablook feel better so you offered him a patient smile instead.

Frisk smiled. “You are amazing Napstablook! Can you show us a trick?” They asked curiously with a kind smile on their face still.

Napstablook looked at the two of you slightly. “Let me try…” He said and as he spoke his tears began to float upward above his head, forming a hat. “I call it...Dapper Blook…” He said quietly. “Do you like it…?” He seemed nervous as he asked the question.

“That was amazing!” You said honestly. Your eyes lighting up green and sparkling just a little bit. You could hear the voice a little louder than usual this time but you were trying to ignore it.

“Yeah! Completely amazing and awesome!” Frisk said excitedly.

“Oh, gee…” Napstablook said and everything soon returned to normal. Your souls returning to you. “I usually come to the Ruins because there’s nobody around...but today I met two people who are nice...Oh...I’m rambling again...I’ll get out of your way…” He said before vanishing.

“What a nice ghost…” you murmured to yourself before you winced from the injury that you got from protecting Frisk from Napstablook’s tears. You glanced towards your back a little and sighed. “That’s going to sting for a while…” you murmured. You wondered why you felt a bit weak though as you slowly moved to the fork in the path ahead of you.

Frisk looked a bit worried about you. “Maybe not...here...eat this…” They said as they got out the candy from earlier.

You blinked a little bit. “How’s that going to help?” You asked as you slowly took the candy from Frisk.

“Just try it...you’ll see,” Frisk said with a smile as they went forward into one of the rooms. The one with the spider bake sale to get a spider donut.

You were about to follow but winced a tiny bit and sighed. You stared at the candy for a moment and wondered how it was supposed to help you since it wasn’t like it could heal your wounds...right? You popped the candy in your mouth and ate it and your eyes widened when you felt invigorated again and when Frisk came back you couldn’t help but laugh. “This really must be Wonderland...the candy freaking heals you…” You said with a smile but you relaxed a bit from the relief that you weren’t in pain.

Frisk giggled a bit. “I haven’t seen a white Rabbit yet though…” They pointed out with a smile and the two of you moved on to the next room.

You looked at Frisk a little bit. “What were you doing in that other room anyway? What was in there?” you asked curiously.

“A spider bake sale…” Frisk said and realized that they messed up by going into the room since they shouldn’t know that the Spider bake sale was there yet.

“Uh-huh...and how did you come to learn of this spider bake sale?” You asked with a curious gaze at the kid.

“That monster from earlier...when you were figuring out that cracked floor puzzle!” Frisk said quickly. They knew it was a flimsy lie but it was all they could do right now.

You blinked a little bit. “Look...I don’t really like being lied to...so...if you feel like you can’t tell me something...just say that okay...don’t lie...they get messy and everyone gets hurt in the end…” You said quietly with a small smile at Frisk. You were curious as to why he lied but knew that you shouldn’t push them if they weren’t ready.

Frisk nodded sheepishly and smiled awkwardly. “Okay...sorry...It’s just...difficult to explain…” They said quietly.

You nodded and the two of you walked past the froggits. Frisk stopped to listen to them and seemed to be able to understand them somehow. To you, they just sounded like any other frog. Your eyes widened though when you saw the figure of a kid standing beside Frisk and you recognized this kid...you could never forget this kid...not entirely at least...It was Chara. You moved and reached to touch them and there was a blinding flash of light and a horrible shock and you nearly felt yourself lose consciousness.

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You looked at all of the kids. You hated that you were leaving them, but you knew if all of you tried to escape then none of you would and there would never be a chance again. You found yourself stopping though when you saw Chara and you wanted to wake them up. Then you remembered that they were drilled pretty hard earlier that day and they’d be weakened and in a lot of pain. You hated the idea of leaving them in this place, so much, but you knew that if the both of you were caught then you’d face a punishment worse than death. It would be best to leave Chara here and hope that they would be able to find an escape route on their own someday. You moved carefully, trying to avoid the guards and then you tensed when you heard an alarm trip and you ran. The rest played out like in your dream but you couldn’t remember how you got out since normally you blacked out after using that much of your power.

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You blinked when you saw Frisk looking at you worriedly. “Chara…?” You murmured, a bit out of it from the shock.

“Are you okay!?” Frisk asked worriedly. “What should I do!? Should I call Toriel!? Oh, But she wouldn’t know...um…” They were panicking as they tried to figure out what was going on and Chara was just as freaked out since you were able to touch them, if only for a moment.

“I’m...Okay...At least...I think I am…” You said quietly as you slowly got up. “I...I thought I saw my childhood friend standing next to you…” you murmured but when you looked around it was just you, the Froggits, and Frisk.

Frisk’s eyes widened at that. “Wait what?” They exclaimed in shock.

“It’s nothing...I’m probably just seeing things…” You said and slowly began to walk towards the next room. You knew that it wasn’t you seeing things and you were going to get to the bottom of why Chara was essentially haunting Frisk. Even though it killed you to know for a fact that your childhood friend was dead.


End file.
